There is Nothing Lost
by rjwritergirl
Summary: The beloved 17 year old daughter of Colonel Brandon and Marianne has the world in her hand and is all grown up. After deciding to live life on her terms, fate intervenes and sends her a mysterious masked man at a Masquerade Ball. Unfortunately it's a forbidden love. Determined to beat the odds, the star crossed lovers will learn an unforgettable lesson in love.
1. Chapter 1

_**I started writing this fanfiction months ago. However, the news of Alan Rickman's passing has given me the kick in the rear I needed to finish this chapter. RIP Mr. Rickman. We never met but I loved your movies. I'll miss you.**_

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"Colonel" Christopher Brandon loved his daughter more than almost anything in the world. Despite popular opinion, (otherwise known as his sister-in-law, Elinor) he _did not_ spoil Felicity. He merely treated his daughter like the princess that he knew her to be. When her cousin, Henry Ferrars, wrote and convinced her to accompany him to a Masquerade Ball in London, Colonel Brandon did the only thing he could: He agreed, and told his daughter to get whatever clothes she would need for an extended visit to London.

They left early one morning a few days before the Ball. Felicity hugged her mother tightly. "Are you sure you're not coming with us?"

"I'm sure," Marianne responded gently. "I'm not feeling up to a trip to London just yet. We've got your season later this year; I'll be there then. Besides, you'll have much more fun without your old mother slowing you down."

"You could never slow me down, Mummy." Felicity contradicted. Marianne and Felicity were close, and Felicity had asked the same question several times over the past few days. It warmed Brandon's heart that his wife and daughter had that special bond, but a little time apart would do both of them some good. Felicity was a seventeen – practically an adult now – and would have her first season in a few months.

The Colonel tried not to think about how his daughter might be engaged this time next year. He doubted that she would get engaged so soon since she had already told both him and Marianne that she wanted to marry for love. Both of her parents encouraged Felicity to wait until she found someone who truly cared for her. A couple of the young men in the neighboring estates had been making noises about courting Felicity, but the Brandon family made it clear that their only daughter would marry when she wanted to.

Brandon shook hands with Edward who spoke quietly, "We'll watch over Marianne while you're gone."

"Thank you. I'll be back soon. Felicity will likely spend more time in London than I." Most fathers didn't leave their daughters in a big city without familial supervision. But Henry and John Middleton would be there, and he trusted Felicity to not get into trouble.

As the carriage began its journey, Felicity waved frantically to her mother and Aunt and Uncle until they turned in the road and could no longer see them. She pulled out the Ladies Magazine and flipped to the opening article. Brandon pulled out his newspaper and began to read. The trip was quiet for several hours. Felicity, however, was a good reader and had exhausted her magazine long before they were even halfway to London. Despite having to be convinced to come to the ball, she was now excited and the drive was soon filled with her chatter about whether or not she would meet Henry's friends; whether or not her best friend Alice was going to attend the ball, and if any of the other women were going to have dresses similar to hers.

"How much longer until we get to Uncle John's?" Felicity finally asked. Brandon lowered his newspaper and spoke after looking out the window.

"We should get there just after dinner." Brandon assured to calm his daughter's anxiousness. Felicity sighed, a bit frustrated, it wasn't even time for luncheon.

"Your mother asked the maids to pack you something to keep you entertained," Brandon said and motioned toward the small valise that had been placed in the carriage.

Felicity leaned over and opened the case, the first thing she noticed was a ball of yarn and a small hook.

"They know I hate crocheting; why did they pack this?" Felicity muttered as she set it aside on the seat. She dug around and came up with a book. She set it on her lap and pulled out a couple of other items before pulling out another book. "Lily must have packed this bag," she decided. She put everything but one book back in the case and buckled it before opening the book. The Colonel noticed that the book she chose was in Portuguese.

"You remember Portuguese?" he asked with faint surprise. Felicity nodded. She had traveled with her father to Portugal several years before and she'd learned some of the language while there. Felicity had a natural affinity to learning languages and was fluent in French, Latin, Greek, Spanish and she'd recently asked her father about getting a tutor to teach her Italian.

"Some." She flipped the book open, "One of the new maids speaks it fluently, and I want to make sure she can understand what I want if I need to speak with her, so I'm reviewing."

"How do you know so much about the maids?" Brandon asked with veiled curiosity. This was not the first time Felicity had mentioned – in her off hand way – something regarding the maids.

Felicity looked up at him. "The maid who does my hair, Lily, she talks a lot about the other maids downstairs." She smiled slightly. "With Alice in London for now, it's nice to be able to talk with someone my age." She glanced back at her book. "Even if we are very different."

Brandon nodded. Somehow it didn't surprise him that she'd befriended one of the maids. Felicity had always been kind to everyone she'd encountered - even if they were in a very different station in life.

At half past two, they stopped for a mid day meal, and were soon back on the road again.

Late that day, Felicity finally put her book aside, Brandon noticed that she was less then halfway through it. "Am I to stay with Uncle John after you go back home?"

"Since I will be in London so briefly, We will be staying at Uncle John's the entire time. It's no use to have our London house aired out and prepared if I am only going to be staying a few days."

Felicity nodded in agreement. "That makes sense."

The rest of the trip flew by and they were soon pulling up to John Middleton's stables. "Henry!" Felicity greeted her cousin. She tired to reach the handle of the carriage door so she could exit and throw herself into his arms. Twice she failed before pushing the latch down. She nearly tumbled out.

"Felicity." Henry helped her down from the carriage and they hugged. "John and Fanny are in town, I believe we may be forced to see them."

Felicity's shoulder's dropped, she did not like Fanny or John. "Please tell me Dorcas and Harry won't be with them," she pleaded.

"Embellishing a lie will not make it truth, Felicity," Henry tried to comfort her. Felicity stepped away from the carriage and threw her father a pleading look. Brandon ignored it. He didn't like John or Fanny either, but they _were_ family so they would have to call on them.

"Uncle Colonel," Henry said, using the nickname he'd given Colonel Brandon years before.

Brandon grinned broadly as he shook the young man's hand. "Henry. How are your studies?"

"Very well..." Henry began to update the Colonel on his training to become a doctor, Felicity moved from the stables and went into the house. She knew she'd find Uncle John in the study.

"Felicity!" Uncle John struggled to get up from the chair and Felicity hid her concern. Uncle John hadn't moved this slow the last time she'd seen him at Christmas. Was anything wrong? "My dear girl, how have you been?"

Felicity smiled and began to update him on her life. She was interrupted however, by the men coming in. Felicity tried not to look too frustrated. _Ladies don't look frustrated when someone interrupts them_ she remembered one of her nanny's telling her when she was a young child.

"Felicity was talking; let's let her finish first," Uncle John told her father. "Then you'll be next, Brandon." Uncle John was one of the few people who did not wish Felicity was born a boy. He cared for Felicity as if she were his own daughter, and if the story was to be believed, he'd cried when it was announced that she was a girl. Most men thought it a pity that Brandon did not have a son.  
Felicity could tell it was difficult for Uncle John to stay standing, so she led him over to the settee and they both sat down.

"Last month, my best friend Alice left for London, and everything has been dreadfully boring since then." she began again. "I'm hoping to see her while I'm here," Felicity said. "May I invite her over for dinner next week?"

"She is welcome here, as are all of Henry's friends," Uncle John invited. "My home is your home, my dear Felicity."

Felicity hugged him and looked to Henry. "I'll need you to accompany me to her house to deliver the invitation."

"I told her earlier that you would be here late tonight," Henry replied. "I invited her to come by tomorrow afternoon."

Both Uncle John and Brandon turned to look at John, Felicity raised an eyebrow, "You met with her earlier?"

"She heard from a mutual acquaintance that you were attending the ball with me," Henry confessed. If Felicity hadn't known any better, she would have sworn her cousin was flustered, but he cleared his throat and continued speaking. "She was here this afternoon to inquire if you were in town yet."

Felicity nodded and the subject changed to their journey, recent politics and Henry's studies. The topic of conversation did not particularly interest her, but Felicity stayed downstairs long enough that it wouldn't seem rude when she went up to bed.

Once upstairs, she wrote a quick letter to her mother outlining that she and Papa had gotten to London safely and were at Uncle John's house. She would send the letter in the morning. Exhausted from the long trip and the events awaiting her, Felicity snuggled under the covers of the large poster bed and tried to remember her prayers. But before she could murmur her request for blessings, her eyelids drooped twice, then she was fast asleep.

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	2. Chapter 2

_**Here's the second chapter, sorry it took so long to update. Now that I have a working computer and decent internet I hope to be able to post on a more regular basis. Thank you to those that reviewed. While I don't write simply to get reviews, it sure is nice to get them.**_

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Felicity woke early and, after dressing, hurried downstairs to try and see her father before he left for his business errands. She knew he would leave for home immediately once his errands were over and would travel into the night to get home to Mummy as quickly as possible. He hated being apart from her. As she hurried into the dining room, she heard the last bit of what her father was saying to Henry. "...marriage?"

"Possibly." Henry said, they were sitting across the table from each other and Henry had leaned forward, eager to speak to his Uncle. Neither one of them saw Felicity. "I don't want to make any premature assumptions or announcements but that is what I want, eventually." He noticed Felicity and then spoke again. "Felicity!" his voice was just a little too loud, "How did you sleep?"

"I slept well," Felicity said, sitting in her usual spot at Uncle John's table. "The trip wore me out, and..." Colonel Brandon waved his daughter up closer to where the men were sitting, she got up and moved to sit next to her father. "I fell asleep quickly."

"I was thinking today, that after taking you to Alice's London house, we could go on a tour of London." Henry said, "I know it's been a few years since you've been here and there are a few places that I think you would enjoy seeing."

"Sounds delightful." Felicity said, "Should I ask the cook to make us a lunch, or will we have lunch in London?"

"Ask cook to make us a lunch," Henry said. Felicity's brow furrowed as she digested the bossyness in Henry's tone. "We'll be out for some time."

"All right," Felicity conceded. She reached for the paper at the same time as Henry did, both grabbing the same section of newspaper: the business section. After some light laughter and a pretend fight over who got to read the newspaper, Henry took the business section, and handed the society page over to her.

Felicity frowned as she opened it. Henry knew she had no interest in the society page; she read it anyway, knowing that Alice was sure to talk about the people in London. At least it would be nice to have some sort of knowledge of who everyone was.

The society section was a quick read, and it was soon folded up and placed back down on the table. Felicity ate quickly, before studying the back of the business section. Although she couldn't read the entire article, the fact that some business named Willoughby Publishing was having financial trouble, seemed to pique her interest.

Breakfast finished, Felicity hurried upstairs to grab the letter she had written to her mother. After quickly scribbling a drawing of a flower on a spare piece of paper, she hurried downstairs to give both to her father. "The drawing is for Jacob," she told her father. Jacob was her 12 year old cousin. He had been very sick for much of his young childhood and was a little slower than most other children his age. Still, he loved looking at drawings and had a book he'd made of the drawings he'd received or done on his own.

"I've got something for Jacob as well," Henry added. He was walking down the stairs with a couple of boxes in his hands and some letters. "Also, I have something for Mother, Father, and Ed," he mentioned another one of his younger brothers.

"I'll deliver everything tomorrow." Papa promised then gave his daughter a hug farewell.

Henry and Felicity both hugged Colonel Brandon before he left. Felicity waved until the carriage disappeared on the street. She and Henry walked back into the house, and Felicity saw Uncle John slowly walking to the dining room. She followed him and sat next to him at the table. "Is everything alright Uncle John?" Felicity asked. "I've noticed you're moving slower."

"I'm all right Felicity." Uncle John promised. "Age is simply catching up with me." He patted her hand gently. "It's wonderful to see you again. What subjects are you learning now?"

"Last week I asked Papa to get me a tutor to teach me Italian." Felicity said, she then lowered her voice. "I'm going to see if I can't get some books sent out to the estate, about the human body so can I learn a little bit of what Henry's learning and be able to understand better what happened with Mummy." Felicity said.

Uncle John looked to Felicity, "I have some old medical texts in the Library." He said, "you can have them, to keep. I know you love to read and learn, so they are yours."

"Oh, Uncle John, are you sure?" Uncle John smiled at Felicity's excitement.

"I'm sure." He said, "I can't think of a better use for them, then your education."

Felicity threw her arms around John and kissed his cheek before rushing to the library to find the books he'd been talking about. As she raced out of the room, she passed Henry who watched her run down the hall. He looked back into the dining room and then stepped in, when he spoke his voice was low.

"When will you tell her?"

"I'll tell her in a long letter that I'll mail after she's presented to the Queen on her birthday." John said, "I don't want to ruin her trip to London."

"The knowledge hasn't ruined my trip to London." Henry retorted.

"You're here while you're studying. I couldn't not tell you, and I'm not your Godfather." John retorted back.

"You're as good as." Henry hissed, so neither Felicity nor any of the help could overhear. Henry shook his head. "I'm sure Felicity will be more hurt about the fact that you didn't tell her about the consumption rather than then you telling her you've only got a year left."

John frowned and turned away from Henry and began to eat the breakfast in front of him. "I will tell her, but now is not the right time."

"What's not the right time?" Felicity asked, returning to the dining room. She held a thick book in her hands and she raised an eyebrow at the two men who were like an older brother and an Uncle to her.

"Now isn't the right time to be asking you or Henry to run an errand for me." John inserted cooly. "You are here to enjoy London, not work for me, I'll send Pigeon to get what I need."

Felicity had a suspicion that she was being lied to, but she didn't press the issue, maybe it was a surprise for her. "Are there any books you don't want me to take home with me?" She motioned to Henry, "Something you put in the library perhaps?"

Henry shook his head, "anything I'm currently using will be in my room, none of the texts in the library are ones I'll need."

She nodded, "All right, I'll have the maids put most of them in boxes before we leave to go home."

Christopher Brandon groaned as he stepped down from the carriage and into the stables at Barton Park. Although they had made good time and were home a couple of hours earlier than expected, it had still been a long drive and he hadn't been out of the carriage since this morning. He motioned to his servants to take his things in and went directly upstairs to see if Marianne was still awake. Although she was still quite delicate, she was sometimes unable to sleep, especially when he was away. His hunch was right and she was still awake, reading when he entered her bedroom. "You're home early!" She got out of bed and greeted him with a kiss.

"I couldn't bear to be away from you or another night." Brandon said, he wrapped her in his arms and held her for a few minutes. They parted and Brandon began to get ready for bed.

"How was your trip?" Marianne asked, "Felicity's settled with John?"

"She was so excited to see Henry and John, she barely talked to me after she got to London." Brandon groused, but Marianne could hear the happiness in his voice. He was glad that Felicity was so close to both Henry and John.

"How is John?"

"The same as when he wrote to us." Christopher said, "I'm glad that Henry is there, to help him when the doctor isn't there."

Marianne nodded, "I am as well."

Brandon looked over to where Marianne was sitting up in bed. "I know you wanted a son." His voice was so quiet that she could hardly hear him.

"I'm happy with you and Felicity." Marianne promised, she got up again and met him halfway across the room. "You don't normally talk of this, what's wrong?"

"Henry and I were talking this morning, at breakfast." Christopher said, "He's been seeing someone in London, she occasionally goes there with her family and they have been seeing each other quietly. He spoke of a family with her. No announcements yet, but he's looking for it to go to marriage."

Marianne's eyes lit up at the words family and marriage. "Our Henry?" she asked.

Christopher nodded, "Although I don't know how much Elinor knows, so..."

"I won't say anything until an announcement is made." Marianne promised, "Who is she?"

"He never used a name, but the conversation with Henry made me think of..." Christopher trailed off, the pain clear on his face now. "Our son, he'd be ten, next month." It came out strained.

Marianne bit her lip and nodded, "But it was wonderful to have him for the time we did." Her voice was quiet. "My only regret is that Felicity never had the chance to meet him."

"She would have adored him." Christopher said. "But I'll never have that with Baby Christopher. I'll never talk with him about the woman who he wants to marry, or talk with him and have Felicity run in and join us for breakfast." The anguish was clear in his voice. "Most of the time, I've accepted that we'll only have one child, I can't stop thinking about Christopher today."

Marianne took his hand." Come to bed, things will look better in the morning."

The Colonel followed Marianne to her bed. He pulled her close and kissed her. "I've missed you."

Marianne kissed him back. "I've missed you too."

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	3. Chapter 3

_**Wow, it's been forever and a day since I posted, hasn't it?**_

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Felicity tried to sit still, but she kept fidgeting in the carriage. She normally didn't like going to parties, but masquerade balls were different. Where else could you be you and someone else. But she was nervous at the same time, a thousand questions ran through her head. Would any of the other women attending have costumes similar to hers? Or would they see her gown as nothing but a simple frock; too out of touch with the always changing London fashion?

Felicity had shown Alice her dress and Alice had promised it was perfect, but would the other women think so? Perhaps Alice just trying to be nice? The thought of being a societal outcast made her fraught with worry.

"Henry, you'll be sure to dance with me when we get in?" Felicity clutched her dance card. She ignored the fact that it already had her cousin's name on it.

"Yes, and point out your friend…." Henry fumbled with her name, which Felicity thought was odd. He had spoken to Alice earlier that day _and_ used her name.

"Alice," she finally supplied, her brow furrowed in confusion.

"Yes. Alice," Henry murmured. "I'll dance with her, too- if she's not had many takers."

"Of course, you'll probably have to fight for a spot on her dance card," Felicity informed him, "Since Alice has always been very popular."

Henry seemed impressed. "At all the parties?"

Felicity shrugged "No, just at all the parties I've been too."

"Well, she's never been to _this_ ball before." Henry sounded affronted at the thought that Alice may not get the chance to dance with him. The carriage came to a halt and Felicity peeked outside. The moment was here,they had arrived.

Taking Henry's arm, Felicity stepped out of the carriage and shivered in the bitterly cold February air. The large house beckoned to her with promises of warmth, music and gaiety. They quickly went in. The lively dance music made Felicity smile. She had always loved dancing. Felicity scanned the floor for Alice. She found her friend but Henry held his hand out and Felicity took it as another song started. She could find her friend after this dance. Suddenly, a man stopped her and Henry.

In the middle of a step, she was rudely jerked to a stop. She looked to see a man standing beside Henry. He spoke something low to Henry, which Felicity couldn't hear.

He spoke again and Felicity realized he was speaking French. She translated quickly in her head. He was asking to cut in. Her temper flared at the thought of the rude intrusion masked by gentlemanly formality.

"J'aimerais danser. Merci beaucoup." Felicity's tone was as sweet as the punch she'd rather be drinking then dancing with this Neanderthal. She didn't really have a choice. He'd already pulled her away from Henry and unless she wanted make a scene and risk not dancing with anyone else tonight, she needed to dance with this man-at least once. From the jerk of his head he clearly hadn't expected a response in French. But before she could claim victory, her mysterious dance partner led her out onto the other side of the dance floor. Out of the corner of her eye, she watched Henry approach Alice and the group of girls she was chatting with.

"I was not expecting you to understand French." Her dance partner said in English, he spoke English well enough, although he had an accent. "I am glad you did." He complimented, although it sounded more backhand then authentic.

"You have an accent," Felicity pointed it out. "Upper crust or base born?

"Parisian,"

Felicity gave a short mirthless laugh, reminiscent of her Aunt Fanny. "Of course."

Because he had the mask, Felicity couldn't tell much of what he looked like; curly hair, but the light made it almost impossible to tell if it was blonde or brown. He had blue eyes that reminded Felicity of the river at home. She loved to go to the gazebo on its banks and read.

"Well, mademoiselle, your French accent is nearly perfect."

"My father was a colonel in the army, he used to travel quite a bit and insisted that I learn some of the language if we were going to be traveling to a foreign country." Felicity explained. "We can speak French, if you're more comfortable with it. Or we could speak Spanish, German or Portuguese." There was a pause "Or how about Gaelic?"

There was a pause. "English will be fine, thank you," the man said, relieved as he switched back to English.

"You grew up in Paris, am I correct?" Felicity asked.

"I was born here in London, but spent most of my childhood in Paris."

Any further possible conversation kept getting broken up by dance steps that separated them, but when they were able to talk, conversation actually flowed and Felicity was somewhat disappointed when the song ended. "Kind sir, be it that I have given you the pleasure of an unsolicited dance, would it be too forward of me to inquire after your name?"

"Do you not know who am, or do you take pleasure in dancing with strange men?" The man asked, his eyes glittering with barely concealed humor that seemed to mock her.

"I take no pleasure in dancing with strange men…even if they are rude enough to cut in and steal someone else's pleasure of my company." Felicity shot back with measured demureness that barely concealed her temper.

"Are you accusing me of being a thief?"

"The thought had not crossed my mind until now, but if you're admitting to being one." Felicity shot back with veiled contempt. Was this man so obtuse that he could not see how arrogant of a fool that he was? She wondered. Or perhaps, she thought with dismay, maybe he didn't care.

He laughed aloud. "You have fire in your belly. I admire that." Felicity thought she heard admiration in his tone, but with the noise level of the room it was hard to tell.

"Well, if you are looking for a meek wallflower, I suggest that you look somewhere else other then in this direction." _Kill him with kindness_ , she reminded herself. _Kill him with kindness_.

"Would it soothe your ruffled feathers to learn that your company is entertainment?"

Felicity scoffed and stepped away from him as she spotted her best friend. He stepped forward to speak again, but Felicity didn't give him a chance. "Your comment has not done much to soothe my 'ruffled feathers' as you put it." Felicity said shortly, she turned around as the music ended.

"Are you leaving?"

"Yes, my dance card is full, and it no longer has your name on it. Although it's not likely that it had your name on it to begin with." Felicity said. She turned and left him there, not caring that she bumped into another man as she walked away.

"Felicity!" Alice waved Felicity over and Felicity smiled as she saw her best friend.

"I cannot believe that you were dancing with Lord Grey! He never asks anyone to dance!" Alice began to gush when Felicity got within earshot. While she was certain she'd heard his name before, it meant very little to Felicity. It hadn't been on the society page she'd read the day before.

Felicity raised her chin in a defiant, unladylike manner. "While he is a respectable dancer, his manners leave much to be desired. I would much rather dance with the devil himself then to take _his_ hand on the dance floor again," Felicity spoke in a cold tone that left no argument.

The other ladies in Alice's group gasped in shock as though Felicity had used a vulgar term. "But it's so difficult to get a dance with him!" One of them objected in Lord Grey's defense.

"Then _you_ should have danced with him, there was ample opportunity to cut in," Felicity replied in snide frustration.

"How unladylike!" Another woman chimed in her disapproval.

Something about the second woman speaking reminded Felicity that she was in London, and away from home. She could hear her father's voice in her head cautioning her temper. And she realized that it would not benefit her status to be ostracized from London Society. If she had to be her Aunt Elanor for one night to save her family's name so be it. "But why would I want to dance with someone whose manners were so uncouth?"

"Lord Grey is one of the most eligible bachelors in all of London!" The first woman stated with confused disbelief at Felicity's ignorance.

"Thank heavens, then," Felicity laughed with faux gayness, "that I _don't_ live in London."

Alice gave a nervous twitter and pulled Felicity away from the group. "Let's go talk over here," she suggested in a tone that would have left Colonel Brandon impressed. Silently, they walked the entire perimeter of the ball room twice before Alice was asked to dance. Felicity watched her friend get whisked away, only to find another dance partner just a few moments later.

The hours passed quickly to Felicity's dismay, although Felicity decided that she had never had such fun in London- despite one dance partner deciding to use her feet as a substitute for the dance floor.

Grimacing to herself, she walked towards the refreshment table. She was only partway across the room when a voice made her turn.

"May I have this dance?" She hadn't danced with this gentleman yet but had noticed him on the dance floor and admired his skills.

"I must get something to drink, otherwise I'll faint straight away." Felicity told him. "However, after I have recovered my strength I will be happy to allow you space on my dance card, Lord….." She trailed off.

"Lord Wilkes." The man said, he bowed and spoke again. "I could not call myself a gentleman, nor a Lord if I allowed a Lady to faint in my presence. I look forward to our dance."

"As do I." Felicity gave a brief curtsy and they separated. She went into the next room to get some punch and she sipped it to cool down. She peered into the dance hall and could see Henry and Alice dancing.

She turned as she heard another man speaking to her.

"Come dance with me." It was obvious that the man who was now speaking to her had been drinking and she shrank back. She hated to be around those who couldn't hold their alcohol. Papa had always made those who were drinking leave her alone.

"I have already promised my next dance with another." Felicity informed him, sucking in a nervous breath. She looked around for an was none.

"He's not here now, join me on the dance floor."The man reached out and took her arm. Felicity jerked away.

"No!"

The man gripped her tightly and jerked her towards the ball room. She screamed in fright, causing several couples to look her way. Her glass fell to the floor, shattering and spilling its contents.

"The lady said no." Now free of his grasp, Felicity wasn't sure if she should be thankful or mad that it was Lord Grey, even though he had stepped up to her defense.

The drunken man turned away from her and grabbed Lord Grey. There was a scuffle and Felicity was pulled backwards by Henry who joined in, and the man was physically escorted from the room. The commotion faded away as Henry and Lord Grey moved towards the exit.

"Felicity, are you all right?" Alice asked, she touched Felicity's arm and Felicity threw her arms around her friend.

"Better now that he's away from me." Felicity said. "I can not believe such behavior! Papa has been right to keep the soldiers who were drinking away from me."

"Let's go over here." Alice guided Felicity away from the crowd.

Felicity sat as soon as she was next to a chair. Alice pushed a cup of punch into Felicity's hand. Felicity took a sip and felt Alice patting her shoulder.

"Are you all right?"

Felicity looked up as Lord Grey walked up. His mask had knocked askew and he fixed it. Felicity noticed that his shirt was untucked and his hair was mussed, She could now see that it was blonde. He fixed his shirt and hair before speaking again. The blue eyes Felicity had noticed earlier were steel blue now, and his jaw was tight. "That man you were dancing with has been made to leave, he will not come back to harass you again."

"I wasn't dancing with him." Felicity corrected shortly. "But I thank you for helping my cousin to take care of him."

"You're welcome," Lord Grey said. "Lady Felicity."

Even with the stress of the situation, it surprised Felicity that Lord Grey knew who she was. Her surprise must have shown, for Lord Grey spoke again.

"Although you don't familiarize yourself with whom you're dance partners, I make it my business to know."

"Even if you must steal away another man's dance partner to get a dance, Lord Grey?" Felicity asked. "I notice that you haven't danced since the end of the promenade."

"I've been too busy rescuing damsels in distress, from overly intoxicated would-be suitors." Lord Grey said.

"Jealous?" Felicity asked.

"You are only at this ball to find a rich husband." Lord Grey scoffed as he turned.

Felicity couldn't help but laugh at Lord Grey's accusation. She leaned close to Alice, and with no attempt to lower her voice spoke; "because it is a universally acknowledged truth that a single young woman of good breeding _must_ be _in need_ of a rich husband. How else could she function?" Felicity's question was rhetorical.

Lord Grey scoffed, turned around and left.

"Because money is the only thing that will make a marriage work." Felicity was happily surprised at Alice's words. Alice had always been spoiled. She, like Felicity was the only daughter of a wealthy man but Alice's parents were not like Felicity's. Alice had been raised by nannies.

Felicity and Alice linked arms and Alice spoke. "Let's don't let that horrible man affect the rest of the ball, let's find dance partners again."

Felicity nodded in agreement. Henry didn't look ready to leave and she enjoyed dancing. The friends turned back to the dance floor before Felicity was approached by Lord Wilkes.

"If you feel up to it, I would like to collect the dance you promised me."

"I would love to." Felicity said, she pushed the thought of Lord Grey and of the drunken man out of her mind as she and Lord Wilkes stepped out into the dance floor.

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	4. Chapter 4

_**Here is chapter 4, I hope you all enjoy it! Thank you all for the reviews, I love getting them!**_

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Several hours later back at Uncle John's, Felicity changed into her nightgown. She was both pleased about the dance and frustrated. Lord Wilkes had been an exceptional dancer, and he had complimented her dance skills as well. They had shared several dances before she and Henry had left.

But Lord Grey had stepped in _again_ , while she was dancing with Lord Wilkes. If Lord Grey had to step in, why couldn't he have stepped in when she was dancing with Lord Collins? The younger man who had stepped on her feet?

" _Stepping in again, Lord Grey?" Felicity blinked as the dashing, yet arrogant Lord stepped in, very quietly pushing Lord Wilkes out of the way, "I'm surprised you're so daring." It had not been meant as a compliment._

" _I'm only daring at the prospect of dancing with the best dancer in the room, Lady Felicity," he had smoothly replied, but his eyes danced with mischief._

" _Thank you," Felicity responded, "I wish I could say the same about you."_

Felicity lay down and took several deep breaths. Her mind was running on overtime and she needed to calm down before she would be able to fall asleep. Banishing all thoughts, she turned over and was soon asleep.

In her dreams, she was reading in her favorite gazebo by the river and Lord Grey rode up on a large horse.

" _Get off of my land!" he ordered._

" _But this is my father's land!" Felicity objected. Lord Grey shook his head and motioned for her to leave the gazebo._

" _Leave!_ "

Felicity woke with a start and looked around. She wasn't on the river at home, she was in her bedroom at Uncle John's. Sunlight streamed through the curtains and she got up and pulled the rope to call a servant. One of the maids came in as Felicity struggled with the dress she wanted to wear that day. After getting her dress fixed and her hair done, Felicity went downstairs for breakfast.

"Felicity, how are you?" Uncle John greeted her warmly. "How was the ball last night? Henry said it was quite entertaining."

"Except for a few small instances, I had a lovely time," Felicity replied politely as she sat down. "I did enjoy myself."

Curious as to her statement, John placed his teacup in the saucer. "What happened?"

"Well, when Henry and I were first dancing, another man stepped in and I had to dance with him." Felicity made a face. "Lord Grey was a respectable dancer, but I would have much more enjoyed his company if he had been polite enough to _ask_ for a dance, instead of stepping in. Twice!"

"Lord Grey?" Uncle John asked, his tone had an odd turn to it and it caught Felicity's attention.

"Do you know him Uncle John?" Felicity asked, her mouth pinching in a frown. She was not going to be happy if Uncle John was friends with Lord Grey's family.

"I knew his father." Uncle John barely masked a grimace. "Before your parents were married."

Felicity thought for a moment. Her parents had been married for just over twenty-five years, plus with the distasteful look on Uncle John's face and the fact that Lord Grey was unfamiliar to her, she assumed that her family and Lord Grey's had nothing to do with one another anymore. "Oh," she sighed with relief. "The only good thing he did was help Henry when that awful man tried to force me to dance with him."

"What happened, are you hurt?" Uncle John seemed concern. He leaned forward to peer at Felicity, as though he was looking for evidence of bruises or harm.

"No, but there was a man who had been drinking. I had saved a dance for Lord Wilkes and this….." Felicity tried to come up with a proper word

"Drunkard," Henry's voice spoke from the doorway. Felicity nodded in agreement and continued to talk with Uncle John.

"He tried to force me to dance with him. I was afraid he would hurt me-the way he grabbed at me was very frightening," Felicity recalled the incident. "But Henry and Lord Grey showed up and they both made him leave the ball."

"Good for them," Uncle John praised the men's bravery. "As long as you are not injured, all's well that ends well." He picked up the teacup and took a sip. "I've been thinking you're perhaps a bit isolated here. So, if there is anyone you want to invite over, don't be afraid to do so, your friends are always welcome."

"There are a few women that I met…" Felicity trailed off, remembering how she'd actually seemed to get along with a few of the women who were there. "Well, I hope we'll become friends."

"Feel free to invite them over any time," Uncle John encouraged with a grin, "my home is your home."

Unsure as to how she should respond, Felicity nodded politely and began to eat breakfast. After she finished, she went back upstairs to her room. Henry was busy with something today and she was looking forward to a quiet day. She was not used to the hustle and bustle of the city. But just before luncheon, Alice showed up and insisted that Felicity go with her to a play that night.

"It's 'Much ado about nothing'," Alice said. "I've only heard good things about this particular cast. A whole group of us are going, you have to come!"

"I'd love to," Felicity said, absorbing some of the enthusiasm from the young woman. She began to ask where they should meet up, but Alice spoke too quickly.

"Wonderful! I'll pick you up at seven. And plan on staying the night with me afterward, we need to catch up properly."

Several hours later, Felicity tried to calm her nerves. She and Alice were on their way to the play, and Alice had mentioned that she knew that Lord Wilkes would be there. The carriage pulled up to the theater and Felicity shared a smile with her best friend.

"I'm so glad that you've come to London," Alice said eagerly. "I've missed you so, it will be so nice to catch up properly later. I've already got Cook making the pudding you love so much; we'll come home from theater and talk until we can't stay awake any longer."

They got out of the carriage and stepped into the theater. Felicity tried not to look around in awe. This theater was the nicest she'd ever been in, but she didn't want to draw attention to the fact that she wasn't from London. She and Alice giggled as they entered the actual theater and searched for their seats.

"Jane!" Alice greeted one of the women that Felicity had met the night before. Felicity was happy that this woman was part of their group. She'd enjoyed speaking with Jane Darcy the night before.

Jane Darcy greeted them happily and they sat together, chatting about nothing in particular as they waited for the play to start.

The play was 'Much Ado About Nothing', and it was wonderful! Felicity found herself lost in the splendor of the ethereal scenery and the handsome lead actor. To say she enjoyed it immensely would be an understaetment, but it was right before intermission that Felicity realized, during a particularly emotional part of the play, that she'd neglected to bring her handkerchief.

Discreetly she dabbed her eyes as best she could and hoped that she wouldn't need a handkerchief for the rest of the play. Intermission was brief and she settled back into her seat to watch the rest of the play. It was only a few minutes into the third act that she realized that she needed a handkerchief to make it through the rest of the play. She leaned over to Alice and quietly asked if she had a spare. "I thought I'd packed one in my bag but it's not there," Felicity confessed with embarrassment, knowing Jane could hear them. What well-bred lady of proper upbringing forgets her handkerchief?

"Here," a deep voice spoke, as a man in the row behind them leaned forward and held out a square of fine silk. His voice was thick, as if he was holding back tears. Without turning, Felicity took the proffered cloth and dabbed her eyes.

"Thank you,"she whispered and continued watching the play.

"You're welcome, Lady Felicity," the man spoke, his voice didn't sound familiar and Felicity was momentarily confused as to how he could possibly know her name. She shrugged it off as him being someone at the ball the night before, or he'd heard Alice or Jane say her name before the play started.

The play ended to cheers and applause. It was a while before the auditorium was cleared, so Felicity spoke with Jane about the play. Once the crowds had dispersed, Felicity turned around to try and locate the mysterious man who had given her the handkerchief. But the seat was empty. It was as though he had been a brow furrowed in confusion.

She stood and smoothed the front of her skirt before stepping out into the aisle.. It was time to leave, but a part of her wanted to stay and find the kind hearted gentleman. Unladylike as it may have been, she stood on tip-toe to scan the area again, but the only people behind her were older couples and families with young children.

"Come on, Felicity," Jane urged from near the exit. "The carriage isn't going to wait all night."

Lifting her skirts, Felicity hurried to where her friend stood.

"I thought you were going to stay here all night. Are you feeling well?" Jane scanned Felicity's features for anything out the ordinary-flushed cheeks or a possible fevered brow.

"I...was thinking," Felicity made the weak excuse. How could she explain to Jane that her mind was lost in thoughts of a mysterious man who had saved her dignity? At least she knew it had been a man who had given her the handkerchief. She glanced at it again, It was white with initials in gold, _JWG._

"We can think about whatever it is that has your mind occupied, at home. I am sure that Cook has prepared a custard for us to enjoy. It's getting late, and I do despise cold custard," Jane dismissed with the wave of her gloved hand.

Felicity only nodded. Custard was as important as the questions in her heart. But Jane was correct, the carriage wasn't going to wait, and it was almost past bedtime. Sighing, she fingered the expensive silk. Finally she slipped it into her bag and followed Alice out of the theater.

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